THE bus approached the traffic lights, at the High Street, High Wycombe. A glance through the windows at the waning plants plucked from the flower beds confirmed the end of a season and a start of a new.

The falling petals had spoken in silent words, in unison: "Welcome to the town of High Wycombe" - and more. Of partnership between nature, environments; cement bricks and architect, a partnership between WDC and public.

The town architecture and layouts also display the symbols of a community. Of organisation, and tradition, of past memories and future trends. Of public contention of recent art forms of balls and faces of untraditional style. Of judgments and characters.

These bear the symbol of free spirit, radical to conformity, of authority, accountability and indiscretion. Geometrical art, raw and simple, in the architectural setting of this town. Spacial but in the wrong setting. The wrong jewel in the crown.

These values become the mines of exploration in the hearts of adolescent educational students of learning art, to submit, conquer, test, develop or to abandon or reject, to reshape their lives.

So, with constructive criticism, if there is future need of artistic forms to complement the town and parks in High Wycombe, why not enlist the aid of our art students as part of their curriculum and progression?

We, the ratepayers already bear the cost of education, so why commission someone else to do no more than our students can? They may do better?

Why pay more? Why not explore their creative talent?

Why not develop a relationship with our university and colleges?

Why not encourage participation? Why not promote public participation by competition in the press? Why not develop openness? Why not create harmony and unity?

With hindsight, cubes would be better than spheres. These would be more comfortable to sit on - to contemplate.

Robert Owen

Conway Close

Loudwater

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.